Wild Thing
by Mickey Levy
Summary: "Why aren't you scared of me?" Her response was one that would give him hope for years to come. That would reassure him that he wasn't simply a horrible person. "Sometimes.. There are scarier things than a man following orders.. You're just a wild thing.. a wild thing can be tamed."
1. A Wild Thing

**Hello again! Welcome to my second story! A GaLe (Gajeel x Levy) story! I really hope you like it! I've gotten really good reviews for my NaLu story! I hope you all will love this story as well. I'll try to be a frequent updater! **** 3  
I do not own Fairy Tail or the characters thereof. I only own this story **

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A petite, blue haired girl pushed open the doors of the notorious guild, Fairy Tail. Carefully, she maneuvered her way through the crowd of fighting people, ducking and dodging the flying chairs, tables, bottles, and, of course, people. Silently, she sat down next to a busty blonde woman, sighing softly as she did.

"Levy-Chan?" The blonde's voice seemed to ring in her head.

"Hm? What is it Lu-Chan?" Levy turned toward Lucy, tilting her head a bit.

"Are you okay? You're moving like you're in pain."

_Shit. _

"I'm fine." She responded brightly, masking the pain that shot through her body at the small facial change.

"Hm… Okay." With that, Lucy turned away, shrieking as her best friend, the beloved Natsu Dragneel, was thrown into her.

**That was a year and a half ago.  
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Levy whimpered softly, pulling herself weakly away from the man that towered over her. She was beaten and bruised beyond recognition, and still he wasn't tired of listening to her agonized screams.

"P-Please stop.." her voice cracked, hardly louder than a whisper.

"Nah~" a gleeful voice responded, whilst a hard foot pressed down on her shoulder, "you have a beautiful scream."

A knock at the door interrupted the horrible beating, resulting in a loud curse from the man as he slammed the door to the room she lay in.

Levy lay crumpled on the floor, focused on evening her strained breathing.

_Why does he do this? _The question rang in her head for the thousandth time. Painfully, she sat up, wiping the blood from her face. She knew the beating was over. Whenever there was a knock on the door he left.

Slowly, painfully, she stood up. Guiding herself to the door, she listened. A second later, she heard the door slam. He was gone.

_Oh thank God…_

She opened the door, making her way to the bathroom. She had promised Jet and Droy she would come to the guild later; but first, she had to see if she could cover the new bruises and cuts.

Staring at herself in the mirror, no one would have recognized her as Levy McGarden. No. Not with her tousled hair, cut and bruised face and arms, and gloomy expression. No, this was not the Levy McGarden the guild knew two years ago.

The Levy two years ago had been a cheerful, well groomed bookworm. But lately, a year and a half ago to be precise, everything had changed.

It was just after the fight with Phantom Lord. Her landlord had been injured in the fight and had decided the city of Magnolia was too hectic for an old man like himself. So, he let his grandson take over the business. But his grandson was not like him. He was not kind, and he had no sense of guilt. Oh, and he loved to abuse young girls.

Levy had attempted to fight him when it came to the horrible beatings, but he was a wizard that outmatched her; so that when she fought back, it only made the beating to come far worse.

Her friends had tried to find out what was wrong with her, but she had decided this was her battle, and she would fight it alone. Probably a bad decision, but she had been doing it for so long. To tell someone what was going on… They would pity her. She didn't want pity.

She sighed, putting the finishing touches of her cover-up on her face. She looked similar to the old Levy, the happy Levy. Satisfied with her work, she walked out of her apartment building, heading toward the guild.

As she walked, her mind strayed, eventually stopping on the memory of her mother. She visibly flinched, trying to block the image of the woman.

Sadly, little Levy was not watching where she was walking, and ended up, quite literally walking into a tall man. She fell back, hitting the ground rather hard. It took every bit of her self-restraint not to cry out in agony.

"Oi!" A loud, gruff voice roared, "Watch where yer goi-" The voice paused. The man had turned and actually looked at the small figure that had slammed into his back.

"Shrimp?" Damn.. She knew that voice.

She looked up at the tall, black haired man. He was none other than Gajeel Redfox. At one point in time, he had been a fierce enemy, and had thoroughly beaten then crucified her and her comrades to a tree. But now, he was a friend. Of course, he still felt bad for what he had done to her. He seemed to hold the idea that everyone in the guild either hated him or feared him, though he was wrong on both accounts.

At the moment, he was stumbling over an apology.

"I- er.. Um.. Sorry.. I didn't see you and um.. You walked into me!" he managed, irritated that he couldn't form a decent apology.

"I-It's okay.. It was my fault." Levy responded slowly.

He held out a hand to help her up, tilting his head. Momentarily forgetting that any contact with anything hurt, she took his hand. The second his hand closed around hers and he began to pull her up, she flinched deeply, a small squeak of pain slipping past her lips.

A small squeak that neither the Iron Dragon Slayer nor his exceed Pantherlily missed. Both looked at her in surprise, but it was Lily who asked quietly, "Levy… Why do you smell like blood?"

_Shit._

"U-Um.." She racked her brains for an excuse, but only came up with, "I fell."

Neither of the men seemed to buy it, and now that Lily had pointed it out, Gajeel noticed that the smell of blood and… make-up? was particularly evident on her. His eyes narrowed in suspicion, she also smelled like lies.

Lily reached forward and gently tapped her shoulder. Her reaction was one neither of them would ever forget. She shrieked in fear, whirling around with a terrified gaze. Her hand had flown to her shoulder, and she seemed to be holding back tears.

Gajeel stared in shock. Now he _knew_ something was wrong. That was **not** a normal reaction to a gentle shoulder poke. But something else bothered him. What could possibly scare her more than him? He was the man that had ruthlessly beaten her, though he had not killed her as he was supposed to, and chained her to a tree. Not only that, but he had painted the Phantom Lord seal onto her stomach. What could possibly be scarier than him?

"Levy.." his voice was quiet this time, comforting even. "come sit down.." he gestured to a bench which she glared at suspiciously before sitting on.

"Can I ask you a question?" He had decided to use the gentle approach when broaching the subject of the strange scent of blood and make-up.

"Wh-what.." she choked out.

To him, it sounded like she seriously did not want to talk about whatever had done this to her. So he decided to ask his second question first.

"Why aren't you scared of me?"

Her response was one that would give him hope for years to come. That would reassure him that he wasn't simply a horrible person.

"Sometimes.. There are scarier things than a man following orders.. You're just a wild thing.. a wild thing can be tamed."


	2. A Dent

_**Sorry this took SOOOO long to update! I was like.. so dead for awhile! But I like the way this chapter came out! It's currently 2AM so I apologize for any errors. This story is only going to be about four or five chapters long (Sorry!) I'll try to update more! Hope you loved it!**_** ~ML**  
**I do not own Fairy Tail or the characters thereof, I only own this story.**

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_A wild thing, huh? _Gajeel shook his massive head, resisting the smile that tugged at his face. She thought he could be _tamed_? He mentally scoffed at the word, but the look on the Shrimp's face wiped any amusement from his mind. Why did she smell like blood, make-up, and deceit? As far as he could remember she had always smelled like.. Well like Levy! Like the pages of a book, and ink, and light cherry blossom perfume. But now… How had he not noticed before? Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen much of the Shrimp for a long time now. He only saw her occasionally at the guild and on the streets; once he had gone into the library looking for her, but the librarian told him she hadn't seen the bookworm for almost three months. Somehow, that hadn't struck him as odd, but now that he thought about it, he almost slapped himself. How could something not be wrong if she wasn't going to the library!

He glanced at her quickly, trying to be inconspicuous; she was staring at the ground with a sad sort of hollow expression, her tiny hands clasped tightly together. The scent of blood on her bothered him greatly. Shorty's weren't supposed to smell like blood.. So why the hell did sh- and then it clicked. Someone had done this to her. Someone was hurting her. As realization hit him, he felt rage pool in stomach and surge through his veins. How could somebody do that to the Shrimp!? She was small, and innocent, and cute! Wait.. What was that last part? Oh well..

"Oi, Shrimp."

She didn't even lift her head, her lower lip trembled and she sniffed softly, trying to hold back the tears she could feel forming in her eyes. "W-What.." Damn.. She had stuttered.

"Whose been hurting you?"

Now, her head snapped. How did he know? Timid hazel eyes met fierce crimson, and that's when the tears started. At first she didn't realize it, but then he was panicking, looking around for Lily who seemed to have disappeared after she screamed. Gajeel mentally cursed the cat, then looked back at the girl who had placed her face in her hands and was currently sobbing her heart out. The rage flooding his system only grew as she cried, but he pushed it down for now. He had to comfort the girl, then find out who had made her like this. There was just one problem. Gajeel didn't _do_ comforting.

"D-Don't cry Shorty! Uh.. Um.." Slowly, carefully, he placed a big hand on her blue head, "Oi, look at me."

Levy let out a small whine, but slowly looked up, her tearful gaze meeting Gajeels. She was touched, she really was, he was trying so hard to comfort her. But her body hurt, her heart hurt, and she was confused. He looked angry, enraged even, but she knew that anger was aimed at her.

"Who did this to you?" It was more of a demand than a question, but somehow, she couldn't quite bring herself to tell him.

"D-Did what?" she croaked, trying to look innocent, but he knew.

As gently as possible, he dragged his calloused hand down her face, smearing the carefully applied make up, or what was left of it. Her tears had washed away most of it already. He inhaled sharply as he took in her cut and bruised face. She had a long cut above her left brow, her right cheek was bruised and a bit swollen, her lip was split, and her chin was cut.

She choked back a sob, covering her face with trembling arms. "D-Don't look at me.." her voice was soft and held no confidence, but he understood why she wouldn't want him to see her in such a state. It was a pride thing. Then he remembered something, her shoulder. She had screamed in agony when Lily had merely poked her.

Gently, he pulled down the shawl she had draped around her shoulders. He stared at the discolored skin on her shoulder with an unreadable expression, successfully hiding the anger that flooded him once again. How dare someone do this to her! He'd kill them! Or.. At least maim them..

"Who did this to you..?" He repeated the question, but his voice was nearly a growl.

Realizing there was no getting around it, the girl whispered, "My land lord.."

Gajeel blinked, thoroughly taken by surprise, "Don't you live at Fairy Hills with that old hag?"

She shook her head slowly, her gaze aimed at the ground once again. "I moved.. Cause I don't make enough to pay the rent there anymore.."

He stared at her for a minute, Lily had materialized next to him and was watching him warily. It wasn't often he saw Gajeel so angry.

"Lily.. Take her to our place.. I'm gonna go beat the shit out of this motherfucker.." he growled, his voice dangerously calm.

"No!" The little mage threw herself at him, tears still streaming down her face. "No! Gajeel he's strong! He's a mage! What if you get hurt!"

"I don't care if I get hurt!" The enraged dragon snarled, "He hurt you, I'll kill him for that. Where's your apartment."

The Solid Script Mage wavered under his gaze, before finally dropping her head. "32 Rose Thorn Way.."

And then he was gone, stomping toward his destination with a fury he had only felt once before. Only when his mother had been threatened, he had felt a similar rage. But somehow, this rage felt even more _real_.

Lily glanced at the sobbing girl, his face softening a bit. She was beat up pretty badly, and had some serious mental strain it would seem, and she was getting paler and was wavering back and forth.. Wait.. WHAT!? He leaped forward, transforming into his bigger self, he caught the fainted bluenette in his muscular arms. He sighed, gently picking her up off of the ground, he hurried toward his and Gajeel's home. Pushing open the door, he made his way into the messy house. He set Levy gently onto the couch then disappeared into the kitchen to grab a first aid kit. When he returned, he transformed back into his smaller form and went to work bandaging the girl. First, he pressed a thick piece of gauze to her swollen cheek, taping it down with medical tape. Then, he pressed a band-aid to her chin. He wrapped her shoulder tightly, so tight in fact, that she wouldn't be able to move it easily. He lifted her shirt a bit, checking for anymore bruises or cuts, gasping in horror as he laid eyes on the massive bruise and cut across her midsection. Slowly, carefully, he wrapped her injured midsection, a sad crease between his brows. Lastly, he wrapped her entire left leg, which was bruised and cut, still bleeding in fact.

Finally finished with his gruesome task, Lily settled himself next to the unconscious bluenette's head. Gajeel was taking his sweet time…

The little mage next to him stirred, groaning in pain as she slowly sat up. She looked dazed, trying to focus on her surroundings. He could practically see the question on her face, 'Where am I?' he chuckled softly, drawing her gaze to him.

"Lily..?"

"Hey, Levy."

"… Where am I?"

"Mine and Gajeel's place."

At Gajeel's name, everything that had happened before seemed to flood back to her. She gasped shooting to her feet before squealing in pain and collapsing onto the sofa. Lily sighed, "Calm down Levy. Gajeel can handle himself."

"M-Mhm…" she whimpered, curling into the couch, as if seeking comfort from it.

Sympathy etched across the cat's marred face; this tiny girl had been through so much. He frowned suddenly. Just how much more would this girl have to go through?

-Meanwhile!-

Gajeel thundered up to 32 Rose Thorn Way, kicking the door down carelessly. The man inside jumped, turning to glare at Gajeel, "What the fuck?"

"Are you Levy McGarden's land lord?"

"Ye-" his answer was cut off my a hand closing around his throat, dragging the man up to his height, Gajeel spat in his face, snarling angrily.

"How dare you!" He roared in the terrified man's face, "How dare you lay a single finger on the Shrimp!"

The man smirked suddenly, a choked laughing working its way out of his mouth. Gajeel growled, thrusting the man's head into the wall. The man groaned, but chuckled slightly, wiping the blood from his forehead he lunged at Gajeel, "Bone Sage; Bone Dance". A long, pointed bone appeared in the man's hands, taking Gajeel by surprise. The man took advantage of his surprise, jabbing the bone clean through his side. Gajeel roared in pain, grasping the bone in both hands, he yanked it from his side, yelling in pain again. _The damn bastard! He's not a weak mage, but I'll take him down for that! Especially for hurting the shrimp!_"Iron Dragon's-"

"Wait.. You're a Dragon Slayer?" The fear that stretched across his face as realization of what he had just messed with hit him.

"ROAR!"

The man was blown away, tiny iron shards imbedding themselves into his skin. Although, along with the man, a good portion of the apartment complex was destroyed and blown away as well. _Oops. Shrimp was probably gonna be mad about that…_

Gajeel sighed, standing to his full height. He ground his teeth together, clamping a hand tightly over his bleeding side. Turning on his heel, he marched out of what was left of the apartment complex, ignoring the shocked expression of bystanders. He marched home, cursing the injury loudly; it hurt like a bitch.

He stumbled through the door to his flat, blood dripping onto the floor. He had to admit, he wasn't quite prepared for what awaited him. A mummified Shrimp stared at him from the doorway opposite him, her mouth slightly agape, eyes staring at the wound in his side with a mixture of horror and irritation. It was cute… Really cute.. It would have been even cuter if she wasn't hurt. Wait… What was he thinking?

His thoughts were interrupted by the Shorty hobbling over to him and, as forcefully as she could manage, shoving him into a chair. He groaned a bit, but before he had a chance to chastise her for treating him with so little care, her little hands were unbuttoning his shirt and pulling it off of his bloody torso.

He stared at her for a minute, trying to figure out just what was going on without being forced to ask, but all he got was a rather disapproving glare. Gently, she cleaned the gash, grimacing at how deep it was; then, before he could say a thing, she was weaving a needle through his skin, sewing him back together. He watched her work in fascination, barely noticing the needle breaking his skin over and over. She was amazing really, in every way; though of course he had already known that. She had forgiven him for what he had done to her, trusted him, and created a dent in the iron armor around his heart.

She tied the bandage around his midsection, then let her hands drop into her lap. _Ouch._ Levy gave the man a scathing look. Why didn't he ever listen!? She had told him not to go! But he had.. For her.. And he had gotten hurt.. She felt tears sting her eyes, but didn't bother to wipe them away. Why… Why didn't he listen? It was her fault though.. Because she was weak, he had gotten hurt for her, **again**.. Because she couldn't protect herself, Gajeel had gotten hurt. She let out a loud sob, to which Gajeel looked at her with distress. _She's crying again!_

"W-What's wrong, Shor-"

"S-S-Stupid Gajeel!" she sobbed, burying her face in her hands.

"What?"

"Gajeel -hic-… You didn't listen to me!... A-And now your hurt… And i-it's my fault…" she bawled, gasping for air between her sobs and words. "I-It's all.. My fault.."

"Now wait just a damn minute! I don't get what yer sayin' at all Shrimp! How is this," he gestured at his wound, "your fault!?"

"Because I'm weak!" she screamed, glaring at him through her tears. Shaking with pent up anger and guilt, the injured girl stood up slowly, bangs shielding her face. "Because I'm weak and small I couldn't protect myself from.. from him… Because I'm weak you had to beat him! Because I'm weak, you got hurt!"

Gajeel stared at her, mouth agape. '_Is that what she thinks?'_

"Is that what you think?" he growled, fists clenched at his sides. "You think I got hurt cause yer weak?" he let out a mirthless laugh. Then he was on his feet, glaring down at her. "I got hurt cause I was careless! I beat the shit out of him because he **hurt** you! I loved every minute of beating his worthless ass because he hurt you!" he was shouting. "Dammit Levy! I hurt him because I _care _about you! Okay? I care! Why won't you let you let me protect you!? Your always spouting all this nakama shit but aren't nakama something you lean on when you're not strong enough to handle something!? Am I not your nakama!? Do I not have what it takes to protect you!?" he was panting, that little outburst had winded him a bit. For the first time, he took in her expression. It was a mix between agony, anger, guilt, confusion, and misery. Tears still streamed from her eyes, but she stared up at him, all of her emotions mixing together to form a perfectly broken expression.  
"I.. I.." She couldn't seem to form a proper answer, but that was okay, since Gajeel's mind was elsewhere already. '_Wait.. I care about her? Stupid! Of course I care about her.. I wish she'd stop crying..'_ Levy continued to stare up at him, finally murmuring. "Of course you're my nakama… I just.. Didn't want you to get hurt for me.. Again.. I.. I thought I could deal with it myself at first… But I couldn't.. And it was embarrassing that I couldn't.. So I didn't tell anyone… I just.." She bit her lip, her cheeks a light pink, and for the life of him he could not have pictured anything cuter than the blushing girl in front of him.

"Th-Thanks… For getting rid of him.. Gajeel…" she muttered finally, moving towards the door. "I'm gonna go home.."

"Your wel-…. Oh… Umm.. About that… Gihi.. See I.. Well.. When I blew him away.." she was staring at him, praying he wasn't going to say what she was pretty sure she knew. "I kinda.. Destroyed a massive portion of the apartment building.."

"You what!?" she shrieked, sounding more like the old Shrimp than ever before, which made him grin. He hadn't realized it before, but he had missed the old Shrimp. "Where am I supposed to live!?"

Gajeel tilted his head, thinking. '**Shit.**'

Lily walked in at that moment, a kiwi in one paw. "You could stay with us." He offered easily.

Gajeel shot him a look that read, 'WHAT!?' but Lily ignored it, watching the Midget.

She wasn't exactly comfortable with the idea, but where else could she go? Lu-Chan's house was too small, and she wouldn't want to intrude on anyone at Fairy Hills… She sighed, since Lily had offered, she might as well. "Okay.. Thanks.." She offered Lily a shy smile, he nodded in response.

Gajeel groaned, rubbing his temples. How had this happened? Oh well.. The Shrimp couldn't be that hard to deal with… Right?

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**Once again, I hope you loved it! Also, my NaLu story, I'm braindead. No ideas. Zip. Zero. Zilch. Some ideas would be great if I have any NaLu lovers reading this! Love ya'll! ~ML**


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